BE YE THANKFUL

This is a command. “Be ye thankful” (Colossians 3:15). In another place Paul said, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians 5:18). Being thankful is not being thankful because things could be worse. Being thankful is being thankful because things could not be better! If God really is sovereign, whatever happens is best because He is in control of it. It may bring joy, it may bring sorrow. But whatever it brings, it is best. Whether our hearts are bubbling over with joy or breaking in sorrow, we are thankful. Whatever He does is best! We may not understand how it is best, but we do believe it is best. Therefore we are thankful!

Pastor Todd Nibert

Reconciliation

“God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

This phrase declares the ministry of reconciliation which God has given to faithful preachers. It declares the AUTHOR, MEANS, SUBJECTS, and CONSEQUENCES of that work. In the person of His dear Son, God was actually providing Himself a lamb, a ransom, and an atonement. He did not charge our sins to us, but to Christ, having made Christ to be sin for us.

The word “world” does not mean that Jesus Christ effectually bore the sins of every son of Adam and reconciled every person to God by His death. If this be the case, no one would be finally lost. He reconciled the “world” in the sense that He actually redeemed a people out of every kindred, nation, and tongue, not of the Jews only (Rev. 5:9-12).

John Owen said, “If Christ died for ALL of the sins of ALL men, then ALL men would be saved; if Christ died for SOME of the sins of ALL men, then NO ONE would be saved; but in that He died for ALL of the sins of SOME men, then some will truly be saved.”

This ministry of reconciliation, substitution, and satisfaction has been committed to faithful preachers, and we will preach it, and we dare not preach any other message. Inasmuch as Christ is our righteousness God does not call upon us to produce a righteousness, but to receive His perfect righteousness by faith. Inasmuch as Christ is our surety and substitute, God will not require satisfaction from us but accepts us IN THE BELOVED ( Eph. 1:6).

Pastor Henry T. Mahan (Bulletin 1985)

CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST

“And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming" (1 John 2:28).

What sweet comfort this precious promise of God gives to the heart of the believer. Our Lord shall return with glorious splendor to receive us to Himself forever (John 14:1-3). Now, and in that blessed day we shall have absolute and eternal confidence to stand before the holy throne of God totally justified and complete in Christ (Col. 2:9-10 1 John 4:17). True saving faith has all confidence in Christ, not in self (Heb. 12:2). We say with the Apostle, "We are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh" (Phil. 3:3).

Believers not only have all confidence in Christ, but we also shall never be ashamed of His gospel now, nor before Him at His glorious coming (1 John 3:12). Every believer can boldly say with the Apostle, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." (Rom. 1:16). Christ Jesus is not ashamed to love us (1John 4:10), to own us (Heb. 2:13), to die for us (Heb. 2:17) and to present us faultless before His holy throne (Jude1:24). "For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren" (Heb. 2:11).

How could we ever be ashamed of Him? "For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels" (Luke 9:26).